Max Holloway has underscored his reputation as one of MMA’s good guys after hitting out at fans who have harassed media online for failing to say that his loss against Alexander Volkanovski was a “robbery.”
Australian UFC featherweight champion Volkanovski was declared the winner on the scorecards by razor-close split decision on “Fight Island” on Saturday night.
This came as the challenger, former champion Holloway, started the stronger of the two and the clear winner of at least the first couple of rounds, dropping the champion in each of the first two stanzas.
However, Volkanovski showed the type of grit which brought him a UFC championship by rallying in the third, and slowly asserting himself in the championship rounds.
When the decision was announced and Volkanovski declared the victor, Twitter feeds the world over were littered with phrases like “robbery”, or accusations that the fight was “stolen” from the Hawaiian fighter.
Some of these messages found their way to media representatives who (correctly) pointed out that the score of 48-47 to Volkanovski is an entirely reasonable result given the functions of the “10-point must system” which governs MMA scoring – and Holloway has spoken of his disgust at some of the messages, or even threats, which had been sent to reporters covering the event.
Life isn’t fair. It’s even more unfair for many many other people in the world than it will ever be for me. People are unemployed right now with no end in sight and it’s not their fault.
It is what it was. Nothing changed for me as a fighter. We proved our point. I still have my five belts at home. I’m 28 and healthy. Blessed era continues. Bless yourself ??
“Just landed in Vegas for another quarantine and was told some guys in the media are receiving threats for saying my fight was not a robbery. This is not ok. I appreciate everyone who wants to ride for me but that ain’t it,” Holloway wrote on Twitter.
“Life isn’t fair. It’s even more unfair for many many other people in the world than it will ever be for me. People are unemployed right now with no end in sight and it’s not their fault.
“It is what it was. Nothing changed for me as a fighter. We proved our point. I still have my five belts at home. I’m 28 and healthy. Blessed era continues. Bless yourself.”
